


When the World Caves In

by possiblyfictional



Series: Angsty Rambles [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Human Castiel, Newly Human Castiel, season 8 AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-05-11 19:35:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5639434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/possiblyfictional/pseuds/possiblyfictional
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the end of the world as Castiel knows it. Dean Winchester is a comfort.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When the World Caves In

**Author's Note:**

> Basically, this is just me writing a season 8 ending au, and I just felt like Cas needed some support at the end of that honestly. I'm also hurting all of us. So, here. Enjoy.

Castiel is tired. He is hurt. His body is begging him to rest.

He can’t rest. He needs to find Dean. He needs to find Sam. He needs to see what he’s done. So many new emotions with so many new feelings. Castiel is overwhelmed.

He tenses when he sees the first shooting star. Unlike most humans, Castiel can see who - not what - that star actually is. Jegudiel. Small, fragile, and wings flaming behind him, burnt by the atmosphere. Castiel’s eyes burn and his vision clouds, but he has to keep going.

\---

An old farmhouse. An old car. Dean coming outside. Everything is dark, except for the angels falling from Heaven, because of Castiel’s mistakes. Castiel stumbles out of the car, and his eyes water. He dislikes how little control he has over his body telling him to cry. Crying won’t help anything.

“Cas, hey, what’s happening?” Dean asked softly. Castiel isn’t sure if Dean could see the tears in his eyes, hardly illuminated by the angels falling and burning around him.

“The angels, Dean. The angels are falling from Heaven. It’s - it’s my fault,” Castiel murmurs in response. He’s stumbling desperately, he doesn’t know what to do, is Sam okay?

Dean nods, and apparently Castiel had said that last part out loud. “Sam - Sam’s okay, he’s knocked out in the back of the car, tired as all hell. Are you okay?”

Castiel feels the stinging in his eyes, and he shakes his head. Before he can get very far with the movement, Castiel stops. He was told once before that humans say they’re fine, even when they’re not.

“Cas, are you okay? How did you even-”

“I stole a car,” Castiel laughs, and it comes out like a sob. “I stole a car.” He’s crying now, turning away from Dean to stare at the falling angels. He stifles his sobs, because there's a hand on his shoulder and he knows who it belongs to and he is cold and tired and he wants to go home.

He doesn’t have a home, and neither do any of those angels.

Dean doesn’t say anything as Castiel’s shoulder shakes under his hand. Castiel can’t take his eyes off of his family falling around him. They’re confused and scared and in pain. Most won’t survive the crash to earth.

Castiel has killed too many of his own kind.

Castiel looks up and tears chase hot trails down his cheeks. He watches his family fall around him. Hannah, Samandriel, Barachiel. They’re falling, falling, falling. Dying, dying, dying.

There’s so much chaos in his mind, and he can hardly hear as Dean mutters something like “Look away, Cas,” and “Come here, Cas,” under the white noise and screaming angels.

Castiel struggles minutely as the hand on his shoulder pushes him to face Dean.

“I need to see what I’ve done.”

“Cas, you’ve seen enough.”

“I have to-”

“No.”

He watches Dean, seeing the worry and sorrow on the hunter’s face. He can hardly see through the blur of tears, but he can see enough. It hurts. His heart hurts.

Dean pulls Castiel closer, and Castiel fights it a little, but he can’t struggle like he used to. He doesn’t know where his wings are, and he can’t fly.

Dean wraps his arm around Castiel’s shoulders, and his will to stop Dean dissipates. Dean is warm, and comforting. The hunter is offering his shoulder for Castiel to cry on, and he’s offering comfort as Castiel’s family dies around him.

This is an offer he can’t refuse.

Castiel returns the hug, finding a handhold in the back of Dean’s jacket as he shakes and suffers, the screams of his family echoing in the night. Dean is solid in ways the ex-angel can’t be, and it’s intoxicating. He feels safe, even though his world is falling apart around him. He’s not even sure he deserves it. Dean is whispering something in his ear, something that’s supposed to calm him down, and he’s a lifeline.

Somehow, time passes, and the end up sitting on the dusty ground, Castiel with his face buried in the crook of Dean’s neck. He isn’t crying, they have no idea what time it is, and it’s so quiet. It’s too quiet, after all the noise.

Castiel doesn’t want to leave. He’s not sure he can stand to know himself just then. He says so to Dean, throat hoarse.

Dean doesn’t reply for a moment, but then answers, “Cas, we’ve broken prophecy, we’ve fought the Leviathan, we’ve fought hell. We can fix this, okay?” His voice sounds rough.

Castiel doesn’t stand up, but he nods. He breathes in the smell of cheap cologne and leather and whiskey, and he nods.

Dean holds him a little tighter.


End file.
